“Thomas did address that in the will,” Stanley said. “There are detailed requirements related to where you will reside, that you must share a room and a bed, and that you may not spend more than ten days apart in the year that you are required to stay wed.”
Ophelia rose to her feet. “I think that before this goes any further, Vincent and I need to discuss this privately.”
“Agreed.”Vincent stood and opened the French doors that led out into the garden. Though it was late fall, roses still bloomed lushly.
“Take all the time you need.” The attorney nodded.
“Not too much time, Vincent,” Claude interjected. His tone was laced with glee.
Clenching his fists at his side, Vincent fought the urge to knock the older man on his ass. He didn’t doubt for a moment that the man was anticipating running him out of his office on a rail.
While Ophelia moved past him and into the garden, he vowed that it would not happen. No matter what he had to do, or what he had to risk, he would not let the company fall into Claude’s incompetent hands. Closing the door, he turned to face her. “I’m sorry for this...I know that it isn’t what you expected.”
“Did you know he’d done this?” she demanded.
“No. I didn’t. He told me that he had created hoops for us to jump through, but I never envisioned this,” he replied honestly. “When I asked in there if it could be contested—”
“You’ve made your feelings for me abundantly clear, Vincent. There’s no need to explain. You have no desire to marry anyone, least of all me.”
“It has nothing to do with you. I avoided you precisely because I never intended to have that type of relationship. But, my options are limited at this point. Whether I wanted to get married or not doesn’t matter anymore. The question now is whether or not you’re willing to marry me.”
“Thomas really left me no choice—losing her home would kill Ruby, and she’s the only family I have. How could he do this? It’s just cruel—like the worst sort of betrayal!”
Vincent wished that he could offer her some sort of comfort, but he knew that she was last person he’d accept it from. She’d loved Thomas, trusted him, thought of him as family, but he’d manipulated and lied to her. He offered her the only explanation that he could. “I don’t have a definitive answer for that. For what it’s worth, I don’t believe Thomas would ever have intentionally been cruel to you. He adored you. But he got it into his head that this marriage between us would be the best thing for us both. The rest of all this is just him hedging his bets.”
Ophelia sighed. “If I agree, Vincent—I have conditions.”
With his hands in his pockets, he leaned back against the large oak tree. She stood only a few feet from him, but it felt like miles. “I figured you would.”
“I won’t sleep with you again. We have to share a room, we have to share a bed—but no sex.”
“Do you believe that’s possible? Put two relatively young, healthy, heterosexual people in an intimate setting for an extended period of time and that is the only logical outcome... but there is something between us that is more powerful than simple biology.”
“There was something between us.” She emphasized the past tense.
“Well, here are my conditions,” he said. “You have every right to turn me down, but I have the right to try and change your mind...and regardless of whether or not we’re having sex with one another, there’s no cheating.”
“Like I would!” she snapped while looking affronted.
“It’s not a judgment, but if we do this, Ophelia—and I really don’t see that either of us has a choice, it’s important to have realistic expectations.”
Ophelia rolled her eyes heavenward. “I have no expectations of you, Vincent. None. Right now, I can barely stand to look at you.”
“I wasn’t talking about your expectations,” he said gently.
“Don’t. Just don’t even go there. Less than twelve hours ago you couldn’t get rid of me fast enough!” she shouted.
“I panicked. I was wrong to handle things the way I did, and I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
She wanted to scream, mostly because she was having such a hard time holding onto the anger. “When are we going to do this?”
“I think we should do it as soon as possible.”
“I assume you’ll want a prenup,” she said.
“It hadn’t even crossed my mind. We’re not strangers, Ophelia. I know you’re character pretty well.”
“Fine. I want a prenup, if for no other reason then so that I won’t be called a gold digger by the tabloids.”
“Then, I’ll have one drawn up. Do you want a ceremony or should we just elope?”
“Elopement sounds like the better option—I don’t think I could stand the hypocrisy of doing this in a church,” she replied.
~~****~~
Inside, Kaitlyn and Justin were glued to the window, watching the byplay between the tense and aloof couple. “It doesn’t appear to be going well,” Justin observed.
“Please!” Kaitlyn scoffed. “She hasn’t hit him yet, but then again it is Ophelia...Still, I think it’s going well. Look at the body language between them.”
“They’re standing several feet apart and she has her arms crossed. I still say she’s pissed.”
“She is pissed,” Kaitlyn agreed, “But she has good reason. Look at how she’s turned slightly toward him and he’s turned toward her—and look at the way he watches her. Vincent can’t take his eyes off her. I don’t like how Thomas did it, but he was right about one thing. Those two are made for each other.”
“I don’t get it. Why would Thomas go to such lengths to force Vincent to marry when he clearly doesn’t want to?” Justin asked.
“God, I love you to death, but sometimes you are just fucking dense,” she said, smacking the back of his head.
“Hey!”
“I know you don’t remember Mom and Dad, but let me tell you something, little brother. They didn’t have a fairy tale marriage. It was ugly. All the time it was ugly and it was Dad. He was so jealous and so possessive that he made everyone’s life a misery, but she put up with it so in my book, she’s just as much to blame as he was. All the people who were on the outside of that, who never saw what a bastard he was, have spent the last thirty years telling Vincent he’s the spitting image of our asshole father.”
“That’s crazy—Vincent has never been the jealous type.”
“Because he’s never allowed himself to care enough to find out,” Kaitlyn protested.
“So, was our dad being an asshole the reason you’re so bitchy?”
Kaitlyn smiled. “No, honey. I’m a bitch cause I like to be one. Now get back over there before they come in and realize we’ve been spying.”
Quickly moving back to their seats, everyone in the room waited with baited breath for the announcement of their intentions.
Stanley rose to greet them.
Claude openly smirked.
“What have you decided?” Stanley demanded.
“We’ll come into your office tomorrow to discuss the particulars of a prenup, and then we’ll go to Vegas over the weekend.”
“No!” The exclamation came from Kaitlyn, surprising everyone.
Vincent stared at her. “Do you have some objection to this?”
“No. I have no objection to you getting a prenup or getting married, but I do object to Vegas. That’s tacky,” she explained. “You can’t just go to some cheap ass chapel on the strip and get married in jeans and an ‘I’m with stupid’ t-shirt! You are the CEO of DuChamps Hotels. How would that look? We sell luxury, Vincent. We’re about wealth, prestige and living the good life!”
“We don’t have time to plan an elaborate wedding,” Ophelia protested. “We only have two months.”
“The wedding will be here, a week from Saturday. It will be a small, private affair and I will handle the details,” Kaitlyn added. “This has to look good. The last thing we need is for t
his to hit the tabloids...Stanley, I want you to draw up a nondisclosure statement, that we are all going to sign before we leave this room today. It is to include everything contained in the will and anything that was said, discussed or decided here today, particularly the circumstances surrounding this wedding—or do you have a problem with that, Claude?”
Vincent had renewed respect for Kaitlyn in that moment. He’d forgotten just how smart she was when she wanted to be. Leveling a cold stare at his cousin, he said, “Claude does not have a problem with it. He would never do anything to jeopardize DuChamps Hotels.”
Claude spluttered a response, “Of course. The business has to be the priority right now.”
“I’ve already done that,” Stanley said, producing a sheaf of paperwork from his briefcase. “I anticipated that these details would require discretion, and tomorrow for the prenup will be fine. We’ll go over particulars and get it set up.”
Ophelia felt overwhelmed and out of her depth. She’d been a part of the DuChamps’ household but she’d never been party to the inner workings of the family. The very idea that Kaitlyn would plan a wedding for them was counterintuitive. “Kaitlyn, I think we need to talk about the service.” She was determined to find out what the other woman was up to.
“We’ll do that when we go shopping for your dress...and that will happen as soon as Stanley gets us out of here. We’re in a bit of a hurry,” Kaitlyn responded. “It’s not every day you marry into the DuChamps’ family, and even though this service will be subdued by most standards, it should still be reflective of the family’s standards.”
The next few minutes passed in a flurry of activity as Stanley had each of them sign nondisclosure agreements. Before he left, he gave Vincent a sealed letter. “It’s from Thomas,” Stanley explained. “I wasn’t to give it to you unless you agreed to marry Ophelia.”
Ophelia wanted to stay, to ask what was in the letter and why in the world Thomas had thought to do such a thing. But Kaitlyn was ushering her out the door and into a waiting car. Grumbling, she went along. It was doubtful that Vincent would share it with her anyway. It wasn’t as if they were a real couple, she reminded herself.
~~****~~
Alone in the study, Vincent stared at the letter for a long moment, feeling the weight of the paper in his hand. He didn’t want to open it, he realized. Holding it, unopened, allowed some small piece of Thomas to remain with him. There was a finality to reading those last words that he simply didn’t want to feel. At the same time, he had to know, felt compelled to know.
Tearing the paper, he scanned the page and the words recorded there by a trembling hand.
Vincent,
I’d say right now you’ve just about run out of patience with all of my theatrics. You’ll have to indulge me, my boy. I had to restrain most of my flamboyant tendencies in life. Everything I’ve done in life, since the moment the three of you came to me, was to insure you that you all would be healthy, happy and whole. But you aren’t. None of you are. Each of you is haunted by the circumstances that brought you to me. You remember too much of your father and those dark times. So does, Kaitlyn. Justin is haunted because he remembers nothing, and feels the lack.
The tasks I’ve set for each of you are going to prompt you to go your separate ways for a while. It’s important. They need to find their way without you, and you need to have a life of your own for once. You also need to face your fears. You are not your father. As much as you may see his face in yours, you are your own man. I like to think I had a hand in shaping the man you’ve become, a man I’m proud of, but damned if I don’t think you’d have turned out just fine without me. You’re a good man, but not a happy one.
The hoop I’ve selected for you to jump through, Vincent, is the one you swore off. You have to marry. I’ve made it easy for you. I even selected the woman of your dreams. All those long, lingering looks you thought were so discreet, well, they weren’t. You have two months from the day you read this letter to make Ophelia Broulliard your wife, or forfeit your inheritance, including my controlling interest in DuChamp Hotels to your cousin, Claude DuChamps. I know you and Claude don’t see eye to eye on running the business, and I know that if he takes over right now, all the hard work and all the money you’ve sunk into salvaging the Marquis Royale will be lost.
I don’t need to tell you that Claude will destroy the company. He’ll make it turn a hefty profit, but the cost will be great. Long time employees will be let go. Quality will go down. Our reputation will be tarnished. The company you love will morph into something else and that grand hotel you’ve been trying to save will once again fall into ruin. But that’s your decision to make.
I’ve taken the liberty of stacking the deck in your favor. Ophelia will have her own incentive to say yes. She’ll hate me for it, but I’m not there to suffer it, am I?
Good luck. And remember that I’m doing all of this for your own damned good.
Thomas.
Vincent read the letter again. He waited for the anger to come, but he simply couldn’t pull it to the surface. Thomas had always been a managing bastard, and somehow he’d always been right. He could only pray that would hold true for Thomas’ grand finale.
~~****~~
Less than an hour later, Ophelia stood in front a full length trifold mirror, surveying her reflection. Absently, she traced the lace pattern on her thigh, though her thoughts were a million miles away.
The dress was beautiful, but more modern and more expensive than anything she would have chosen for herself. Kaitlyn had argued with her until she’d finally relented and agreed to try it on. The mermaid style hugged her curves and the strapless, sweetheart neckline displayed more of her than she was comfortable with. Still, there were vintage touches with the lace and the birdcage veil. It all felt surreal to her.
Marrying Vincent had been the optimal outcome of every girlhood dream she’d possessed. In her limited vision, prince charming had always worn Vincent’s handsome face. Now it was, simply put—the last thing in the world she wanted to do. The very idea of it filled her with dread for one reason and one reason alone. He didn’t want to marry her. He’d been left with no other option. It stung her pride and left her tender ego feeling too raw for words.
“Well, you look gorgeous but if you don’t figure out how to fake a smile, this is going to be one sad ass wedding,” Kaitlyn scolded.
“My God, you are so bossy.”
Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. “If you’re just figuring that out, you really are slow. I think this is the one, really. It does things for your body that are just sinful.”
“It’s a wedding dress. Is sinful the look we’re going for?” Ophelia demanded.
“That depends,” Kaitlyn answered nonchalantly. “Do you want to continue being the good little girl? Or do you want to be the woman who makes his jaw drop and his brain seize?”
The answer was shameful to her. Even after everything that had happened between them, she wanted to make his chin hit the floor. She wanted him to look at her and not be able to think of anyone else. And then just for spite, she wanted to tell him…no. “You think this is the dress that will make him trip over his own tongue?”
“Yes. I do. I think that when Vincent sees you and that ridiculously pornographic figure in something other than one of your ladylike dresses, he’s going to want you, and it’s going to piss him off to no end that other men are getting to enjoy that same view...Jealousy, in moderation, is a good thing.”
“Okay,” Ophelia replied. “Then, let’s start making him miserable with it.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “That sounded almost like something I’d say, if you threw in a few choice curse words. We need shoes and we need lingerie. I’ll book a caterer and we’ll get the florist. We’ll keep it simple, but expensive. That way, they won’t balk at the short notice.”
“I still don’t know why you’re doing all this,” Ophelia wondered aloud, struggling to piece together whatever ulterior motives Kaitlyn might have. For
the life of her, she couldn’t find one.
Kaitlyn appeared to consider her answer for a moment. “I don’t like you, Ophelia, but I don’t hate you. You’re just too goody- goody by far and frankly, having you held up by Thomas and Ruby as a sterling example just set my teeth on edge...But I love my brother, and whether he’s willing to admit it or not, you’re what he wants. So, I’m helping you to help him.”
“Vincent wants me, but he doesn’t want to marry me. He can barely stand to be in the same room with me—you heard him. The first question he asked was whether or not the will could be contested.”
“True. He doesn’t like being told what to do. Who can blame him for that? I’m sure it pissed you off plenty when you found out about Ruby’s little role in all of this. There’s not a doubt in my mind that savvy old bird knew precisely what Thomas was about when she sold him her house.”
“No, I’m not pissed,” Ophelia admitted. “I’m sure she knew. I’m sure she had a hand in every bit of this.”
“It isn’t about what Vincent wants,” Kaitlyn continued, “It’s about what he fears. I can remember being a kid and hearing Vincent say he’d never get married because married people fought all the time. Even before they died, our parents weren’t really there for us. Our mother tried, but they were at odds so much, always fighting, yelling—it was all jealousy, accusation and misery.”
“You just said jealousy was a good thing!”
“In moderation...Vincent needs to know that he can be connected to someone, invested in them, and even jealous of them, and know that it isn’t going to go to some dark, unhealthy place. Besides, if he marries you, I never have to worry about having a sister-in-law who’s good enough, or who might embarrass the family. You’re the best behaved person I know—it’s repulsive.”
There was the Kaitlyn she knew and avoided, Ophelia thought. “Look, I’m doing this because of Ruby, because in spite of her machinations, I can’t see her turned out of her home. Whatever my feelings are for Vincent, it doesn’t matter anymore. This isn’t a fairy tale and there’s no happily ever after in store for us. One year, and then it’s over.”
Been Loving You Too Long (DuChamps Dynasty) Page 7
